With a whole nation desperate for a repeat dose of the success of 1998, Jamaica's Senior men's football team begins its quest on the road to the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals with a first-leg, second-round CONCACAF Qualifying series against the Bahamas here at Kingston's National Stadium at 6:00 pm today.

The second leg will be played at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium on Wednesday at 4:00 pm.

Ranked 98th on the FIFA list, host Jamaica will be meeting the 167th-ranked Bahamians for the first time at the senior level, as they kick off on their ninth World Cup Qualifying campaign, dating back to 1965.

Since then Jamaica have entered all editions, except those of 1974 in West Germany, 1982 in Spain and 1986 in Mexico.

The game will also mark the 73rd World Cup Qualification match for Jamaica, and the 35th at home in the competition.

Technical director Rene Simoes (left) and assistant coach Theodore Whitmore walk onto the field for a practice session at the National Stadium last night. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

It will also be a nostalgic reunion for Brazilian technical director Rene Simoes, who was reappointed as head of the technical team in January after the return of Captain Horace Burrell to the presidency of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF).

It was primarily that duo who led the outlandish dream of a nation to the historic 1998 World Cup Finals qualification in France, and Simoes's last game with Jamaica in this competition would have been that unforgettable 2-1 victory over Japan in Lyon, France.

In 1997 Jamaica became the first English-speaking Caribbean country to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Finals.

On the other hand, the Bahamas are contesting only their third World Cup Qualifying campaign, following appearances in 2002 and 2006, and their ninth match overall. The odds are stacked heavily against the nation of about 700 islands.

But following a stunning 1-2 loss against lowly ranked Grenada on Tuesday in that eastern Caribbean island, Simoes told the Sunday Observer that there is no chance of complacency setting in on his Boyz.

"There is no chance," he asserted authoritatively. "This is the World Cup and there is only one chance," he added.

But Simoes will be facing a completely different scenario from when he first arrived for the historic 1998 campaign. Now he has precious little time to mould a team with the right personnel and chemistry, but he will have a lot more professionals at his disposal and the onus will be on him to get the right mix.

But based on evidence from Jamaica's five matches since the little moustachioed Brazilian returned to the fold, it appears he is still not yet sure of the right personnel or the system that best suits the players.

In his first game back against Costa Rica on February 6, Simoes employed a 4-4-2 formation, and he did the same against Trinidad and Tobago on March 26.

In the recent friendly games against St Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada, he switched to the 3-5-2 formation, but based on his training sessions this week, there appears to be another switch to the 4-4-2 formation.

He would not confirm the switch, but said he would be using the best formation for the team.

"I'm going to play the game," he said. "The Bahamas, they play with one striker only...in the game I saw them play against BVI. We are prepared to play any system...but it's what's best for the team."

Stoke City striker Ricardo Fuller will sit out today's game with what appears to be a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee. His place will be taken by the speedy Luton Shelton, who will partner ace striker Marlon King in attack.

Donovan Ricketts will tend goal, and will be supported by veteran Ian Goodison and Harbour View's Jermaine Taylor in central defence, flanked by captain Ricardo Gardner on the left and Tyrone Marshall on the right.

The midfield will be manned by Demar Phillips, Rudolph Austin, Andy Williams and the inexperienced Evon Taylor.

"What we need is a very intense game against the Bahamas," Simoes said. "This ball cannot stop...we have to create space, we have to make rotations, we have to read the movement of the strikers, the support, the penetration."

And still smarting from Tuesday's 1-2 loss to Grenada, Simoes promised that the team will be much better off for that result and the Bahamas could be in for a backlash.

"I think they look much better now..I think they're very focused for this game against the Bahamas."

The Bahamas, who arrived in the island at nearly 2:00 am yesterday, held a training session at the National Stadium last evening with a youthful side, made up of 12 players who participated in their shocking 1-0 upset of Jamaica at last year's CONCACAF Olympic Games qualifier in Haiti. The bulk of the players represent local clubs in the national New Providence League and universities in the United States.

Some of their most recognised players appear to be striker Happy Hall of Appalachian State University, Demont Mitchell of Hosfra University and goalkeeper Dwayne Whylly of Yale Bulldogs.

Their technical director, Brazilian Neider Dos Santos appeared unperturbed when he spoke to the Sunday Observer.

"I know players from the premier league and I saw the game against St Vincent. They draw with Trinidad and Tobago then they lost to Grenada. I know Grenada and they are a good team. That defeat to Grenada put more pressure on them. I know how football works and if 30 minutes of the first half passes and things are not going too well, they will start to feel pressure from the stands also," he said.

Dos Santos, who was at the helm in the shock win last year, said he was just taking it one game at a time.

Squad: The Bahamas - Dwayne Whylly, Shari-Cardeece Clarke, Daron Beneby, Michael Bethel, Lamar Cancino, Gavin Christie, Dwayne Forbes, Happy Hall, Cameron Hepple, Nesley Jean, Demont Mitchell and brother Denair Mitchell, Justin Sealy, Connor Sheehan, Lesly St Fleur, Damani Horton, Alexander Wallace-Vanderpool, Kyle Williams.